Poochyena Line/RSE
Poochyena is available on Routes 101 through 103 in all three games. In Emerald, it is also available on Routes 104, 110, 116, 117, 121, 123, and in Petalburg Woods. On Routes 120, 121 and 123, Mightyena can also be found, once again only in Emerald. One of the many poor unfortunate souls that are Dark-types before the physical/special split: good Attack, especially for an early game Pokémon, and an early enough evolution to make it count, except it needs to travel through most of the game without any sort of significant move that can make its strongest stat shine. While Bite is good in the short term, it quickly loses power starting from the third gym; only Strength is available to Mightyena from there on out, until the late game moves - such as Crunch and Shadow Ball - become available, at which point Mightyena will be underpowered with or without them. While not really that useful in the middle-to-late game, its ability still makes it fairly decent at taking physical hits, and the not-so-late evolution makes it a reliable ally in the early segments; Mightyena will likely be the go-to choice for the player for a little while, but it is unlikely to be of much help near the endgame. Important Matchups - Emerald = * Gym #1 - Roxanne (Rustboro City, Rock-type): Poochyena will only be able to defeat one Geodude by itself. Bite 2HKOs and Rock Tomb 3HKOs, but Rock Tomb lowers Speed, whereas Bite does not; if Poochyena's Speed is lowered, it will find itself at a disadvantage against the second Geodude, which will finish the job the first Geodude started. Poochyena can manage with a healing item, however. Nosepass 3HKOs and Poochyena's Bite takes much too long to take it down, resulting in an average 5HKO. * Rival (Rustboro City, optional): Poochyena outdamages Lotad, Slugma and Wingull, resulting in average 3HKOs against them all. It can also defeat Treecko if not in low health, where it can fall prey to Quick Attack. Torchic and Mudkip both outclass Bite with their respective STABs, as does Torkoal, which only May has and only if the player picks Torchic. * Gym #2 - Brawly (Dewford Town, Fighting-type): Mightyena is on the losing end of the battlefield. Brawly's lead, Machop, defies Intimidate by having a 25% critical hit ratio on its Karate Chop, and the ace Makuhita can KO even in just two turns with Vital Throw or a lucky Arm Thrust roll of four to five hits. Meditite only has Focus Punch, so it can be beaten without a problem, but not if Mightyena needs to switch in after the battle has already started; Focus Punch is a one-shot from full health without Intimidate. * Rival (Route 110): Mightyena fares well against Wingull, Lombre and Slugma, all of which are averagely 2-4HKOed by Bite. It can also win against Grovyle, though being at full health is recommended before the fight begins; Mightyena's Bite is an average 4HKO and Grovyle's fourth-turn Fury Cutter chips away about half of Mightyena's health without Intimidate on. Combusken has Double Kick, so Mightyena should not fight it. Marshtomp also outdamages Mightyena with Mud Shot, though Mightyena can win against it if Bite makes it flinch at least once; watch out for Bide, as well. * Wally (Mauville City): LOL. * Gym #3 - Wattson (Mauville City, Electric-type): Mightyena's Bite is a 2HKO against Electrike and a 2-3HKO against Electrike; both Pokémon are defeated easily, and even Voltorb's Selfdestruct cannot kill Mightyena unless it scores a critical hit. Mightyena cannot win against Magneton, as its Shock Wave outdamages any of Mightyena's possible moves by far, and should not attempt to take on Manectric either; while easier to take down than Magneton, its Thunder Wave and Howl + Quick Attack combination can be deadly for a Pokémon that can at best 4HKO. * Tabitha (Mt. Chimney): Strength 2HKOs everything. * Maxie (Mt. Chimney): Strength outdamages the opposing Mightyena's Bite even factoring Intimidate into the equation, although it is easier for Mightyena to take down its comrade if Intimidate is compensated, either by switching out or boosting its Attack again. Zubat stands no chance against Mightyena, getting 2HKOed by Strength. Battling against Maxie's Camerupt is poorly advised: its average Magnitude is a 3HKO against Mightyena, and a full-power Magnitude almost kills from full health, whereas Mightyena's Strength is stuck in the 4HKO range. * Gym #4 - Flannery (Lavaridge Town, Fire-type): Both Numel and Slugma have Sunny Day, and while Strength 2HKOs them easily and even a sun-boosted Overheat is highly unlikely to one-shot Mightyena, letting them have a free setup turn will prove troublesome for the team in the long run. Camerupt's and Torkoal's Overheat almost kill Mightyena even from full health, and Bite - Mightyena's best weapon - is a mere 4-5HKO against them; in addition, their Attract will make a male Mightyena's matchup even harder to win. It is, in general, poorly advised to use Mightyena against Flannery's best two Pokémon, and if better options can OHKO Numel and Slugma before Sunny Day is set up, that is ideal. * Gym #5 - Norman (Petalburg City, Normal-type): Mightyena can 3HKO Spinda without problems, but needs at least one Howl to outdamage Vigoroth; however, using Howl against either Spinda or Vigoroth gives Norman an opening to Encore, and both Spinda's Teeter Dance and Vigoroth's 3-4HKO Slash foil setup plans. It also should be kept away from Linoone, which outspeeds, cannot be 2HKOed, and knows Belly Drum. Since Mightyena cannot outmuscle Slaking with sheer strength, it should use Dig instead, to bypass Slaking's moves. As Slaking outspeeds Mightyena, Dig should be used in the second turn, in order to avoid actual attacking turns instead of loafing turns. Dig deals low damage, however, so Mightyena's PP will need to be replenished once to win, counting Norman's healing items. * Shelly (Weather Institute): Return OHKOs Carvanha, but only scores a 2-3HKO against the opposing Mightyena if Intimidate is somehow negated. The opposing Mightyena is not particularly threatening, having only Bite as a damaging move. * Rival (Route 119): Lombre, Slugma and Pelipper are all still a non-issue for Mightyena, all ranging from a 2HKO to a 3HKO with Return; Slugma might also be OHKOed with Dig. Return also 2HKOs Grovyle and 3HKOs Marshtomp, and Mightyena can 2HKO Combusken with Dig before Combusken does the same with Double Kick. * Gym #6 - Winona (Fortree City, Flying-type): Swablu's harmlessness would encourage a Howl setup, but Mightyena may actually be cut just short by its Perish Song; a 2HKO with Return is simpler. Tropius and Pelipper are better setup fodders, though Tropius' SolarBeam is close to 2HKO range, meaning a lot of healing items will be needed to properly set up if it uses Sunny Day; on the other hand, Pelipper deals a lesser amount of damage, but its Supersonic can become deadly with a highly boosted Attack. If Mightyena manages to set up, a +5 in Attack is sufficient to OHKO Tropius and Pelipper. Even at +6, Return only manages to 3HKO Skarmory, but Skarmory's Steel Wing also only 3HKOs, so Mightyena can beat it. Lastly, at +6 (no less), Altaria is also OHKOed by Return. * Rival (Lilycove City): Tropius' Razor Leaf is weaker than Mightyena's Return, an average 4HKO, but Mightyena cannot set up due to Tropius' Whirlwind. Pelipper, Ludicolo and Slugma are better setup targets, though Pelipper's Supersonic must be warded off with Full Heals, as a self-hit in confusion from a highly boosted Attack is very dangerous. At +3 in Attack, Pelipper is 2HKOed and Ludicolo and Slugma are OHKOed by Return. Grovyle is OHKOed too, though Marshtomp is only 2HKOed, or 3-4HKOed with no setups. Mightyena should attempt Combusken only if backed by a Howl setup, otherwise it can Double Kick Mightyena into oblivion after using a Bulk Up during the turn Mightyena would be underground due to Dig. * Tabitha (Jagged Pass Hideout): Numel and Zubat fall to one Return. Tabitha's Mightyena is 3HKOed counting Intimidate, but can also simply be 2HKOed if Intimidate is negated. Camerupt can be either 3HKOed with Return or 2HKOed with Dig, since it does not know Magnitude. * Maxie (Jagged Pass Hideout): Maxie's Mightyena is not dangerous, but very annoying: it prevents Howl setups with Roar, and complicates the matchup with Swagger. Mightyena can 3HKO it if its Attack is neutral, or 2HKO with one or more boosts, but needs to play carefully with status conditions. Crobat is unbeatable: not only it can 4HKO faster than Mightyena can, its Confuse Ray is also very likely to make the matchup impossible for Mightyena. Camerupt just overpowers it, and should not be fought. * Matt (Lilycove Hideout): Matt's Mightyena has no direct damaging moves, so Mightyena can switch out at will to prevent Swagger boosts from stacking, until it goes down. Golbat is averagely 3HKOed by Return. * Gym #7 - Tate and Liza (Mossdeep City, Psychic-type): Mightyena's first job is that of taking down Claydol, aided by its teammate. Shadow Ball is a 3HKO against it, and thanks to Intimidate, Claydol's Earthquake only 4HKOs instead of 3HKOing; critical hits exist, though, and its AncientPower might just yield the overall stat boosts which would make Claydol very frightening. After Lunatone is down, Xatu can be beaten with two Shadow Balls; do not leave Xatu on the battlefield for too long, as it can meddle with Confuse Ray and boost its stats with Calm Mind, and even though Psychic is its only damaging move, a non-Dark teammate will be threatened by it. Shadow Ball also 2HKOs Lunatone and 2-3HKOs Solrock. Solrock only 3HKOs even with a sun-boosted Flamethrower, so Mightyena is not in danger. Which of the two Pokémon should be taken down first depends on Mightyena's teammate; if that is also a Dark-type, Solrock should go down first, as Lunatone's only offensive move is Psychic. Conversely, Lunatone should be targeted first, to avoid its potential Hypnosis and Calm Mind spams, which could kill Mightyena's teammate. * Maxie and Tabitha (Mossdeep Space Center, tag battle with Steven): Mightyena struggles to make itself useful in this battle. It cannot lead, as it would otherwise get hit by Maxie's Mightyena's Intimidate, and switching in on a double battle is problematic. Tabitha's Camerupt has no STAB moves, and it can be 2HKOed with Dig, but Maxie's Mightyena knows Swagger; confusion makes Dig a poor choice. Although after negating Intimidate Mightyena can 3HKO Maxie's own, beating Camerupt will result in Tabitha's Mightyena switching in, thereby requiring another switch for Mightyena. Tabitha's Golbat is also hard to handle, due to Confuse Ray. Maxie's Crobat and Camerupt are outright impossible for Mightyena to beat. * Shelly (Seafloor Cavern): Sharpedo is 2HKOed easily with Return. For the enemy Mightyena, usual policy: neutralise Intimidate first, then use Return, all in the while watching out and preferably healing Swagger-induced confusion. * Archie (Seafloor Cavern): Mightyena is better off not leading in this battle: the enemy Mightyena's Intimidate nerfs its Attack, knows Scary Face to cut its Speed, can foil any attempt at a Howl setup with Roar, and endanger a slowed down Mightyena with Swagger. Crobat would be impossible for Mightyena to beat, either way. Mightyena can only reasonably hope to triumph against Archie's Sharpedo, 2-3HKOing it with Return. * Gym #8 - Juan (Sootopolis City, Water-type): The only way for Mightyena to contribute significantly to this battle is that of risking it against Luvdisc, using Howl until its Attack reaches +4. Luvdisc is likely to outspeed and knows Sweet Kiss, which is what makes this setup a gamble. If Mightyena can outspeed, instead, healing confusion will be much easier. At +4, Mightyena's Return OHKOs all of Juan's team. Without a setup, Mightyena can win against Sealeo and potentially Crawdaunt, but not Whiscash and Kingdra. * Wally (Victory Road): Mightyena's best strategy against Altaria consists of using Howl twice and then 2HKOing with Return, since Altaria cannot be KOed in less than four turns overall. Its Dragon Dance will not be a problem; Mightyena's Intimidate compensates for the first Attack boost. At +2, Return also 2HKOs Delcatty and OHKOs Roselia, though both of them can be taken on even by a Mightyena with no boosts. If Mightyena still knows Dig, it can OHKO Magneton with it after one or more boosts; the OHKO is possible even without any boosts, but very unlikely. Lastly, Gardevoir is 2HKOed by Shadow Ball, and should still be dispatched swiftly even though all its moves are Psychic-type; Future Sight hits for typeless damage in this generation, so Mightyena is not immune to it. * Elite Four Sidney (Ever Grande City, Dark-type): Mightyena requires the enemy Mightyena's Intimidate to be negated to properly function. Under said conditions, Return is a 2HKO against all of Sidney's Pokémon except Shiftry and Crawdaunt, which are 3HKOed. * Elite Four Phoebe (Ever Grande City, Ghost-type): Both Shadow Ball and Crunch score 2HKOs all across the board, save for Sableye, a 3HKO. A Mightyena with Howl may prefer a +2 setup against either of the Banette, in order to easily OHKO the remaining Pokémon; this is not possible against the lead Dusclops, which knows Curse. Mightyena will also likely need to be healed during or after the setup, as one of the Banette is a status user carrying Will-O-Wisp, and distinguishing it from the other is not possible until their moves are shown. * Elite Four Glacia (Ever Grande City, Ice-type): Mightyena can 3HKO the two level 50 Pokémon, Glalie and Sealeo, with Return. However, they are not weak enough to warrant setup turns, and all other Pokémon on Glacia's team are too strong for a Mightyena to fight against. * Elite Four Drake (Ever Grande City, Dragon-type): Crunch can 2-3HKO Shelgon, but nothing more. Altaria will outdamage Mightyena after a single Dragon Dance, as well as outspeeding, Flygon and Kingdra outdamage Mightyena even in their natural state with their best STAB moves, and Salamence is just too strong. * Champion Wallace (Ever Grande City, Water-type): Mightyena cannot participate in this fight; all of Wallace's Pokémon are far too strong for it to win. * Post-Game: How about no? }} Moves Poochyena starts with Tackle, a less than ideal move in this generation. At level 5, it learns Howl, which is its only stat-boosting move, and does no good to its STAB except in late game situations, where it is difficult to use Mightyena in general. It then gets Sand-Attack at level 9, which may come in handy in battles where stalling is the only option, but mostly in the early game; it even gets outclassed by Double Team later on. At level 13, Poochyena learns Bite; this is very useful for a while, despite being a special move, and it also will not be upgraded until much later into the game. Ignore Odor Sleuth at level 17 and Roar at level 22, as Mightyena. Swagger, at level 27, is great to fight special attackers, but it should not be used against anything that has physical moves, as it could backfire against the whole team. Scary Face, at level 32, is once again not that useful; Mightyena is not fast, but this is not Agility, and having the benefit of outspeeding just for one battle is not worth it. Take Down at level 37 is also a useless move, since Strength is available much earlier in the game. Taunt at level 42 is an insult to Mightyena as a species; with its average-to-frail defensive stats, it will hardly be a proficient user of the move. But finally, at level 47, Crunch comes around, as the welcome upgrade to Bite. Nevertheless, Shadow Ball is likely to outdamage Crunch, unless Mightyena's nature is either boosting Special Attack or lowering Attack. Thief comes at level 52, concluding the natural learnset of this line with yet another useless move. There is not much else Mightyena can learn. The aforementioned Shadow Ball is the only noteworthy move. Return works very well as an upgrade to Strength, too, though its coverage will not be the greatest; still, paired with Ghost or Dark moves, it is not bad. Moves such as Dig and Iron Tail can also turn out useful at some point in the game, but they are also unlikely to make it to Mightyena's final moveset, despite Mightyena's movepool being rather bad. Recommended moveset: Howl, Return, Shadow Ball, Swagger / Crunch Recommended Teammates * Psychic-types: Since the Bug-type weakness is negligible in this generation, due to the uncommonness of Bug-types and lack of strong Bug moves, Mightyena's only effective weakness is Fighting, which is trivially covered for by a good Psychic-type. Psychic-types are also typically either fast or have good Special Defense, and both of these are desirable traits for Mightyena, since it is lacking in special bulk and speed. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Gardevoir, Alakazam, Medicham, Grumpig, Claydol, Starmie, Xatu * Special tanks: While Intimidate somewhat compensates for the average Defense, there is nothing to help Mightyena against its rather bad Special Defense. Special walls should be designated for this purpose, even better if they are Psychic-types. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Swampert, Ludicolo, Gardevoir, Gyarados, Tentacruel, Swalot, Muk, Grumpig, Altaria, Whiscash, Claydol, Milotic * Fast hitters: A base Speed of 70 would not be exceptionally bad in Hoenn, if not for the fact that Mightyena's offensive coverage is limited and its bulk is unimpressive on both sides, after the effects of Intimidate wear out. Mightyena is unlikely to defeat enemies it cannot outspeed, and needs the help of a glass cannon or other fast sweeper against them. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Sceptile, Alakazam, Crobat, Manectric, Electrode, Starmie Other Poochyena's stats Mightyena's stats * What Nature do I want? In the long run, Adamant is likely the best, though it subtracts to the power of Bite for most of the game. A good balance would be Naughty, which dents the low Special Defense Mightyena is not really good enough to do anything with, and boosts Attack for maximum offensive throughput. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Either before or right after Brawly. It does not matter for the gym fight specifically, as even Mightyena is of little help against the second gym. * How good is the Poochyena line in a Nuzlocke? It fares fairly well in the beginning, with hiccups here and there, and becomes awesome against Tate and Liza, that do not have a lot of good counters in Emerald. However, that is the last fight in the game in which having a Mightyena may actually make a difference; everything after that can be handled much better by other Pokémon. Although mildly useful against Phoebe, Mightyena has little in the way of redeeming factors in the very late game. * Weaknesses: Bug, Fighting * Resistances: Dark, Ghost * Immunities: Psychic * Neutralities: Dragon, Normal, Steel, Flying, Electric, Grass, Water, Fire, Rock, Ground, Poison, Ice Category:Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses